t that did nothing to clean the grief clinging to Ethan Miller. He leaned against t

y. The doctor had delivered the news ten minutes ago, and the world had tilted on its

he had devoted the last

e. It was a pre-recorded message. "The per

t of desperation tightening in his

impatient. Music played softly in the backgr

id, his own voice crack

n empty one. He could hear her shifting, a rustle of fabric. "

like a slap. "Lily,

er tone softening slightly, but not for him. "He's not

ulative musician who had broken her heart years ago, the v

nd replacing it with a hollow ache. In his darkest hour, her priority

e repeated, his voic

er voice. "You know how important my practice is. The competition

say another wo

had supported her dreams, worked two jobs so she could focus solely on her piano, celebrated her every small victory and soothed her every frustration. And this was his reward. In t

ed and swollen. She saw the look on his face and didn

ng, is she?" Sa

held her tight, the only anchor in his storm. "I'll take care of you

with Lily. The space that once felt like a sanctuary now felt foreign and hostile. On the coffee table was an empty wine bottle and two g

faint, unfamiliar scent of cologne hung in the air. It was a scent he associ

, drained of all energy. The love, the devotion, the sacri

ed. It was a t

ings got a little crazy

But this one wasn't for him. It was a group chat notification that p

es close, her smiling brightly at the camera. The caption read:

d replied with a se

storm of grief and anger had passed, leaving behind a vast, empty

er, the one she used to say could calm any storm in her heart. He remembered playing it for her just last week when

ow that the original wound-causer was back, the bandage was no lon